Q.What is meant by the ‘Scheduled Tribes’, and on what basis are communities included in that list?

The term ‘Scheduled Tribes’ refers to communities that the Indian Constitution recognises as historically disadvantaged and in need of special protective measures. These communities are listed in a schedule — hence the name — under Article 342 of the Constitution.

A community is included in the Scheduled Tribes list based on a set of objective characteristics:

• Geographic isolation — they live in remote, often hilly or forested areas with limited contact with mainstream society.
• Distinct culture — they have their own language, customs, traditions, and social organisation that differ from the surrounding population.
• Primitive traits — many groups practise subsistence agriculture, hunting, or gathering, and have low levels of literacy and technological development.
• Shyness of contact — they tend to avoid interaction with outsiders and have historically been marginalised.
• Backwardness — they lag significantly behind the general population in education, health, and economic indicators. …

The term ‘Scheduled Tribes’ (STs) is a constitutional and administrative category used in India to identify those tribal communities that have been historically marginalised and require special protection and affirmative action. The concept originates from the Government of India Act, 1935, which first introduced the idea of ‘scheduled’ communities for electoral representation. After independence, the Constitution of India adopted this framework in Articles 341 and 342, empowering the President to specify which tribes would be listed as Scheduled Tribes.

The basis for including a community in the Scheduled Tribes list is not arbitrary. The government follows a set of well-defined criteria that have evolved over time, primarily through the work of the Lokur Committee (1965) and subsequent official guidelines. These criteria are:

• Indications of primitive traits – such as a pre-agricultural level of technology, a hunting-and-gathering or shifting-cultivation economy, and a low level of literacy.
• Distinctive culture – including a separate language or dialect, unique social customs, religious practices, and art forms that set the community apart from the mainstream population.
• Geographical isolation – the community lives in remote, often hilly or forested areas, with limited contact with the wider society.
• Shyness of contact with the community at large – a historical reluctance or inability to engage with the dominant population, often due to exploitation or discrimination.
• Backwardness – across social, economic, and educational indicators, the community lags significantly behind the general population.

The process of inclusion is rigorous. The President, after consulting with the Governor of the concerned state, issues an order specifying the tribes or tribal communities for that state. These orders are then amended only by an Act of Parliament. This means that no community can be added or removed from the list through executive action alone — it requires a constitutional amendment or a parliamentary law. The list is state-specific: a community recognised as a Scheduled Tribe in one state may not be recognised in another, because the criteria of geographical isolation and backwardness are assessed at the state level. …